Winters Love
by HadesAngel
Summary: When Meghan honored her side of the contract with Ash, the youngest son of Queen Mab, she never expected to run into Ash's horrid older brother, Rowan. Nor did she expect the love that would soon blossom between them. Now Meghan has to deal with defeating the False King, boy troubles, and, oh yeah, a baby on the way.
1. Chapter 1

** This is my third fanfiction I've written. I ship Meghan with all the Winter princes but there is no fanfiction for Meghan and Rowan so I decided I'd write some. I won't be updating as often as you all would probably like since I am also working on another fanfiction called Who Knew. I hope you all enjoy chapter one of Winters Love. (Cheesy title I know. Couldn't think of a good one at the moment. Might change it later if I think of a better title.) **

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Maeghan, Rowan, or any of the other characters in this fanfiction. They all belong to Julie Kagawa.**

I sat in my room, alone and crying after Ash had said those terrible things to me in Mab's throne room. I guess he hadn't loved me after all. Those things he said to me while we were trying to rescue Ethan were just a trick to get me to come to the Winter Court. Lies, all of them. No, not lies. Fey can't lie. They just bend the truth to suit their own needs.

A knock at my door startled me out of my thoughts. It was probably just Tiaothin, come to make me feel worse than I already did. I ignored the knock and turned over onto my stomache to bury my face in a pillow. The knocking continued until it was a pounding.

Finally, it became too much and I got up and headed to the door.

"Tiaothin, there better be a good reason why you're-", I cut off as I saw who was on the other side of the door. It was not Tiaothin but none other than Prince Rowan. He stood there with his trade mark smirk on his handsome face.

"Hello, Princess," he greeted mockingly. I frowned at him as he continued to smirk.

"What do you want, your highness?" I asked in the most respectful tone I could muster. He chuckled at my attempt at respect.

"No need to be so formal, Princess," he said as he took a step closer to me. "I certainly won't be."

I clenched my hands into fists as I tried not to strike him and knock his stupid smirk off his face. He glanced at my clenched fists and his smile grew even wider showing his perfect white teeth.

"I can see that, your highness," I said back sarcastically. "Now if you don't mind I am going to take a nice warm bath and go to bed."

I started to shut my door but his boot clad foot shot in between the door and the door way.

"That sounds really nice, Princess," he said as he leaned forward so I could see part of his face. "It would sound even better if I joined you."

I blushed five shades of red and Rowan winked at me.

"No thanks, your highness," I said. "Now would you please leave."

"Well, since you asked so nicely."

He retracted his foot from the doorway and I hurried and shut the door. I leaned my back against the cool wood and listened as his footsteps slowly retreated down the hallway. It wasn't till a few moments later that I realized I was holding my breath. I let it out slowly. My heart beat faster as I realized that Prince Rowan had been flirting with me.

I shook my head at the thought and walked to the bathroom adjoining my room. A huge tub was built into the floor. It was already filled with steaming hot water. I took my clothes off and slowly slipped into the water. I sighed in relief as the water soothed my muscles and chased away the eternal chill of the Winter kingdom.

I soaked in the tub for about an hour before I decided to get out. I rose from the small pool and grabbed a towel off a nearby rack. The towel was soft against my skin. As soon as I was dried off I put on the cotton t-shirt and pajama pants that I usually slept in. I made my way to my bed and slipped beneath the covers and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out like a light.

I woke the next day to the sound of someone knocking on my door. I groaned low in my throat and slowly got out of bed. I padded to the door and opened. A small fey creature dressed in fancy clothes stood on the other side.

"Prince Rowan would like you to get dressed and immediately meet him down in the courtyard," the creature told me in a raspy voice. I blinked and it took me a minute to process what the thing had said.

"Why does Prince Rowan want to see me?!" I shouted. The creature cringed at the volume of my voice.

"His Royal Highness want to take you on, how do you mortals say it, aw yes, a date."

I stared down at the creature with wide eyes. Prince Rowan wanted to go on a date with me?! This can't be happening!

"What happens if I say no?" I asked the creature. The creature actually looked surprised. Like he couldn't believe that anyone would ever say no to Prince Rowan.

"My lord has given me instructions that if you are to refuse I am to tell him immediately. And then, his Royal Highness, will personally come upstairs and escort the Princess Meghan down."

"And by escort you mean…"

"Come up here, throw you over his shoulder, and carry you downstairs."

"That's what I thought. Go tell Prince Rowan that I will be down as soon as I get changed."

The creature nodded, bowed low, and then hurried down the hall to report to his master. I groaned at the thought of going on a date with Prince Rowan. It's not that he isn't handsome (because he is deliciously so). It's that his personality has much to be desired. That and his idea of good time probably involves killing and torturing innocent people. I groaned again and went to go get ready for my date with Prince Rowan.


	2. Chapter 2

**I've decided to continue working on this story. At first, I lost my inspiration, but after rereading the Iron Daughter and seeing the many Imagine Iron Fey posts on Tumblr, I have gained inspiration once more. The updates will most likely take longer, though. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to post every month. At the moment I am more concerned with finishing my other fanfic, Who Knew. But I will try to update this story as often as I can until that one is done. Sorry for the late update. Well, here's chapter 2 of Winters Love. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Meghan, Rowan, or any of the other characters in this story except for ones I may makeup later in the story. Everyone else belongs to Julie Kagawa.**

Clothes laid scattered across the floor of the room Queen Mab had assigned to me. I was at a complete loss at what to wear on my "date" with Rowan. I mean come on! What does one wear on a date with a Winter prince? I had no idea what to expect on this date and no idea what to wear. Should I go casual or formal? It would be nice to know where we were going so I could dress for the occasion. But then again, this was probably all a part of his plan to embarrass me should I wear the wrong thing.

At the moment I was torn between a red knit dress that had long sleeves and hung off my shoulders. Black tights and boots also accompanied the outfit. Or a plain white turtle neck sweater with black skinny jeans and boots. Decisions, decisions. A knock at the door startled me out of my clothing dilemma. I quickly walked over to the door and slowly cracked open the door to see who was outside.

Prince Rowan stood at the threshold to my room; an irritated look adorned his face. He was dressed in a snow white button up shirt with a black jacket over it. Black jeans and boots were molded to his legs which were, surprisingly, muscular.

"I thought I had a servant tell you to meet me down in the courtyard, Princess," he said, as he pushed past me into my room. I huffed in annoyance.

"Well, I was trying to decide what to wear but since you never told me I am a bit at a loss," I responded back hotly. A smirk spread across his handsome face. His attention then shifted away from me and down to the clothes that were laid across my bed. He shook his head as he walked over and picked up all the articles of clothing and then proceeded to toss them back into the closet.

"Hey! I need those! And you're gonna get them all wrinkly. What if I need to wear those in front of Mab?" I shouted as I raced by him to pick the clothes up from where he had tossed them. His only response was to laugh at me and then walk over to my dresser. I huffed at his lack of concern with my clothes and then began to fold and hang everything back up.

"Those clothes would never do for what I have in mind. Unless you don't mind them getting wet", Rowan said as he rummaged through one of my took me a minute before I realized that the drawer in question just so happened to be my underwear drawer. My face flushed with embarrassment when he lifted up one of my many pairs of boy shorts and turned to look at me, one delicate eyebrow raised.

"You really don't have any taste in underwear do you? This has got to be one of the most unattractive pairs of panties I have ever seen. And trust me, I've seen many a pair of panties."

I spluttered at his words and marched forward, snatching the offending article out of his hands.

His grin widened and he turned back around to continue his perusal. I tossed the underwear back in the drawer and slammed it shut. It was quite the shame that I didn't crush the Winter prince's fingers in the process.

"You are so…so…rude!" I shouted at him. "Normal people don't just randomly start going through someone's underwear drawer! That's private stuff there, mister! And there is nothing wrong with my underwear! They are perfectly fine, functional, and comfortable. And it's not like I'm trying to impress anyone", I said in a huff, folding my arms across my chest as I turned away from him.

"Obviously", he responded. I whirled around to glare at him. "Now as much fun as I didn't have looking through your panty drawer, if you can even call those hideous things panties, I would really like to know where your swimsuit is."

I looked up at him confused. Swimsuit? Um, did he forget that we're in Tir Na Nog, the coldest place in the world? I didn't even think there was a place to swim in this realm. I voiced these thoughts to him. Rowan stared back at me like I was retarded before he took a deep breath in.

"It's for our date. You know, the one you aren't ready for. We're going swimming in the human world and you'll need a bathing suit. Unless you want to swim naked and I can definitely get on board with that," he said giving me a seductive smirk and a quick wink. Normally, the action would've been creepy but for whatever reason today it just seemed extremely sexy. Shaking my head to try and dislodge the inappropriate thoughts running through my head, I glared up at the Winter prince. I fear I've been doing a lot of glaring here lately. I hope my face doesn't freeze like that.

"I don't have a swim suit," I said. His eyes widened a fraction and then his lips pulled down into a frown.

"Why the hell not?" he asked, clearly frustrated. I stared up at him in disbelief.

"Are you freaking kidding me? It's, like, negative 50 degrees here. When in the hell am I going to need a swim suit?"

"That's true, I suppose," he finally conceded. "Hurry and put some simple clothes on."

Rowan turned and started for the door. After he had exited I rushed to throw on a simple t-shirt and jeans. I grabbed a jacket and then ran out the door, coming to a screeching halt before I could run into him. He stared at me with an amused expression before turning around and heading off down the hall. I had to jog to keep up with him.

"Where are we going?" I asked him. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and his quirked up into a grin.

"To get you a swim suit, and some fucking decent panties."


	3. Chapter 3

** Hey, guys, I'm back! Sorry for the super late update. These last few months have been hectic. Thank you to all of the people who have stuck with this story even though the updates are very slow. As a reward for all my readers patience I have made this chapter longer than all of my previous chapters. I would like to dedicate this chapter to NinjaSukie Advanced Forever4.0! I appreciate your commitment and that you took the time to PM me and get my ass in gear to finish this chapter. Thank you! Here's chapter 3 of Winters Love. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Rowan, Meghan, or any of the other characters in this story except for the ones I may or may not make up in the future. The rest of the characters belong to the very creative and talented Julie Kagawa.**

The bathing suit store that Rowan had decided to take me to was not the most modest place to buy bathing suits. In fact almost all of the suits were skimpy little two pieces that showed off way more skin than I was comfortable showing. I could feel Rowan's impatience with me grow. We had been at the store for an hour and I still hadn't been able to find a halfway decent swim suit. Rowan huffed in annoyance as I flicked through a rack of suits.

"Would you hurry the fuck up! We've been here for an hour already and you still haven't picked out a damn suit. If you don't hurry up and decide soon I'll pick for you and I can guarantee that you won't like what I pick out for you, Princess."

I shuddered at the idea of what Rowan would pick out for me. It would obviously have so little fabric to it that I might as well have been naked. Taking his threat seriously I made more of an effort to find a suit. After a couple of more minutes I found a back two piece with little cherry blossom petals on it. It was a cute swim suit if only it covered a little bit more skin, but I figured this was as good as it was going to get. I grabbed the suit of the rack and walked back over to Rowan.

"Not bad, Princess," he said as he looked over my choice. "Though I would have preferred you in something more…revealing."

I blushed at his comment and he took the swim suit from me and headed up to the counter. I trailed behind him noticing the way the women in the store followed him with their gaze. I rolled my eyes at their attempts to catch his eye. If only they knew what Rowan really was I doubt that they would be so eager to jump in bed with him. The lady at the counter scanned the tag and rang up the suit. Rowan pulled a credit card out of his wallet and handed it to her. I raised my eyebrow at this. I never figured Rowan would have any human currency. I always imagined bartering the way that the fey do.

With the swim suit in a bag, Rowan grabbed my hand and led me out of the store. I could feel the envious glares of the women as we left. The sun was very hot and bright as we headed down the sidewalk to Rowan's Dodge Charger. I had to give him credit. He had decent taste in cars. Rowan unlocked the car and went around to get in the driver's seat. I slid into the leather passenger seat and waited for Rowan to start up the car and turn on the air conditioner. The one good thing about driving with Rowan in a place that was hot like this town was, was that he cranked the AC up in the car.

With the blessedly cool air flowing against my face Rowan put the car in drive and headed to his house that he had on the beach. Rowan had explained to me earlier that apparently all the royals had houses in the mortal realm. He, in fact, had several around the world. I questioned Rowan on why he took me out of the Winter court considering that I was kind of a hostage. He responded that he talked Mab into letting him take me on a little "vacation", during which he would win my trust and make me a little bit more likely to help the Winter court and to keep me out of trouble.

I frowned at this and told him that I would never help the Winter court. He just laughed at me and said that he already knew that, it was just an excuse to get me out of the Winter court for little bit. I didn't know what was worse though. Spending time in the Winter court or spending time alone with Rowan, who was known to have a reputation with not only being a player but a heartless bastard as well.

Rowan pulled up into the drive way and stepped out of the car. I hurried after him in order to get into the nice air conditioned house. As soon as we were in the house I started to walk over to the plush couch against one of the walls.

"Don't even think about it," he said when he noticed where I was going. "We're spending the rest of the day on the beach. So get into that bathing suit I just bought you, and if you're not down here ready to go in ten minutes I will be bend you over my knee and paddle your ass red."

With that said Rowan headed up the stairs to his room. I blushed crimson at the image of him bending me over his knee and spanking me. I also had no doubt that he would do it too. With a sigh I headed upstairs after him. My room was all the way at the end of the hallway, two doors down from Rowan's. I slipped inside and started shedding clothes. I pulled the black two piece out of the bag and, after removing the tags, put it on. I sighed again and turned to look in the mirror. I was surprised to see that the swimsuit looked really good on me. It hugged my curves just right and the colors looked nice against my lighter skin tone. I didn't even look like a complete skank in it. I smiled at my reflection before I reminded myself that I needed to hurry and finish getting ready otherwise I was going to have a very sore ass.

That thought, surprisingly, did not repulse me. Instead it sent a tingling wave of heat through my pussy. My face heated up with shame at my reaction to Rowan's words. I shouldn''t have these thoughts or feelings about a man like him. Pushing those disturbing thoughts to the back of my mind I applied my sunscreen and grabbed a beach bag off the floor in my closet. My closet here was even bigger than the one I had in Tir Na Nog. It could've been another bedroom. This closet though unlike the one in Tir Na Nog was empty. Rowan hadn't allowed me to bring any clothes with me, not even a spare change of underwear.

I stuffed a towel into the bag along with my bottle of sunscreen. I headed downstairs and into the kitchen to pull out several bottles of water from the fridge. As I turned around I caught sight of Rowan descending the stairs. I almost dropped the bottles of water at the sight of him. He was in nothing but his swimming trunks and a pair of shoes, a towel thrown over one shoulder. His chest was chiseled and pale; a scar could be seen every now and again. He wasn't as thin as some of the sidhe nobles. He was more muscular and his shoulders more broad.

Rowan smirked at me when he noticed me staring. I quickly looked away and became focused with one of the many paintings on the walls. Rowan strode up to me and took my bag out of my arms, stuffing his own towel into it.

"I see you heeded my warning," he said as he glanced down at me. "That's a real shame. I was looking forward to spanking you."

I coughed on the drink of water I had taken. Rowan's smirk widened at the action before he turned to head out the back door.

"Come on, I don't have all day."

I glared at his back as he slid open the sliding glass doors and headed across the deck to the staircase that went down to the beach. I hurried after him partially afraid of retribution should I defy him and partly because I was excited for a day on the beach. It had been forever since I had last been. Rowan waited for me at the bottom of the stairs and as soon as my flip flop covered feet hit the sand he grabbed my hand and dragged me down the beach. The part where we were at was deserted and I was somewhat thankful for that.

Rowan looked around before abruptly stopping. He unzipped the bag and began rummaging through as I stared at him in confusion. Finally, he found what he was looking for and a smile grew on his face.

"Ah, here they are! I was beginning to think that you didn't bring them," he said as he pulled out the beach towel I had packed in my bag. He spread it across the ground and then plopped himself down. He glanced up at me and patted the spot next to him.

"Well, are you going to sit down or not? On second thought, keep standing, but I'd like for you to stand in front of me that way I have some shade," he said as he smirked up at me. I glowered down at him and then flopped down beside him. His smile widened and he laughed.

"You think you're so funny, huh?"

"I don't think I am. I know I am. And you're too uptight. You need to relax. I'm not going to bite." With those words he gave me a wicked grin that exposed his canines. I couldn't help but giggle at his antics. And he was right. I did need to loosen up a bit. I'd show him I could have some fun. I jumped up off the towel, kicked off my flip flops, and ran to the water. I dove in and splashed around. I turned back to look at Rowan and see his reaction. He continued to sit on the towel; a surprisingly gentle smile graced his face. My heart gave a hard thump at the look and I hurriedly turned away, a blush gracing my face.

Suddenly I felt hands softly grip my hips and I could feel his cool breath on my cheek. Damn, he was fast!

"What are you doing, Rowan?"

"You looked like you were having fun and I decided to join you. Though, I know another activity that we could do back on my towel that we could do that would be even more fun," he whispered in my ear. My face burned at his words and images popped in my head that should not be there regarding the second son of Queen Mab. Images that included me spread out across a towel, him in between my legs, pounding…

I shook my head at the dirty thoughts that had flittered across my brain. Bad Meghan! Bad, bad, Meghan! I jerked out of his arms and heard his loud laughter. I turned and glared at him. His eyes were shut and his head was thrown back as he laughed hard at my expense. That bastard. An idea popped into my head and I smirked wickedly. I scooped up some water in my cupped palms and threw it into his face.

Rowan gagged and coughed on the salty water and even stumbled backward and fell into the water. I giggled uncontrollably as he floundered around. Finally, he came up and gasped on the fresh air. After he had finally gotten himself righted he gave me a hellacious glare. Suddenly, a wicked smirk of his own spread across his face and I gulped internally.

"So I see how it's going to be, Meghan," he said as he slowly made his way toward me. "I hope you know you have started a war that you cannot possibly win." With that he lunged at me. I squealed and tried to get away but he was too fast and his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I was suddenly hoisted into the air and I screamed at the action. I looked down at Rowan and he smiled viciously up at me. The look on his face was enough to tell me that I was in some serious shit.

"Rowan, don't you dare!" I yelled but it did little good. I soon found myself flying through the air before plunging into the salty ocean water. I came up spluttering and I could hear Rowan cackling in the distance. As soon as I got oriented I turned and gave him my most vicious glare. If looks could kill Rowan would be set ablaze and ripped to pieces.

"You bastard!" I screamed at him. Rowan just cocked an eyebrow at me in amusement.

"In all fairness, _you_ are the one who started it."

"And I'll be the one to finish it!" I lunged at him and began to throw water into his face. Surprised by my attack, it took Rowan several minutes before he could react, but when he did he gave me everything he had. A few times I even felt like there were some chunks of ice in the water but they were never big enough to actually hurt me. It was probably him just playing dirty. We splashed each other for a few more minutes before I finally relented and called a truce. I almost splashed Rowan in the face again after seeing his smug smile of victory.

We headed back to the shore where we then proceeded to build elaborate sandcastles. Or more like Rowan built elaborate sandcastles and I just made a mountain of sand. I was never very good at building sandcastles. We played in the water and on the beach until the sun began to set. We packed up all our stuff and returned to the house. I headed up the stairs to go and take a shower. To my surprise there was a pair of shorts, a pair of panties, and a tank top lying on my bed. My guess at how they got there was probably the brownies that cleaned the house.

After I had taken a nice long shower and changed into my pajamas, I headed downstairs where I could smell the scent of something delicious. My nose was correct for there were two sacks of Chinese food setting on the counter. My stomach growled at the sight. Behind Rowan laughed from the couch.

"I figured you would be hungry. I hope you like Chinese."

"Are you kidding me?! I love Chinese food! I'm just surprised that the prissy Winter prince likes Chinese food."

Rowan feigned a look of injury and hopped up off the couch.

"You wound me, Princess."

I shook my head at his antics and dove into the bag of delicious fried delicacies. I had devoured my food within minutes and then went and sat down on the couch, flicking on the TV. Rowan gave me a look at how fast I had eaten before he settled himself at the counter and dug into his own food. I flipped through the channels until I came upon the SyFy channel. They were having the infamous Sharknado marathon. I chuckled to myself at the ridiculousness of the movie franchise. The first one was ok. The second one was pushing it, but this third one was going way too far. But my curiosity was too great and so I decided to just stay on the channel and watch the cheesy CGI effects and poor acting.

Rowan joined me on the couch shortly after finishing up his meal. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he turned and looked at me.

"What the actual fuck are we watching?" he asked. I laughed at the expression on his face. It was obvious the Winter prince had never heard of Sharknado and its sequels. I explained to him the plot of the movies and afterwards he just stared at me like I was crazy.

"That has got to be the most freaking retarded thing I have ever had the misfortune of hearing. I think I lost IQ points just by having you explain these ridiculous movies to me."

"Hey, I'm not the one who makes them. But they are kinda entertaining in their own way."

He rolled his eyes at this and returned his stare to the TV. That was how we spent the rest of our evening. Watching horrible death scenes and mocking the actors of the movies. When the movies were over, Rowan turned the TV off and stretched.

"As fun as that was, I need to head to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow."

"Alright, goodnight Rowan."

He nodded at me before heading up the stairs. I waited a few minutes until I heard his bedroom door close before I myself ventured up the staircase. I quietly shut my bedroom door and went to my bed. I sank into the soft sheets and stared up at the canopy above me. Thoughts of today swarmed my head and eventually I drifted off to sleep.

This was our routine for the next month. Rowan would be gone by the time I got up in the morning and he would almost always be back home by five or six. Then it would be an evening of fun. Sometimes we would go down to the beach and sometimes he would take me out shopping. He always liked to supervise my clothing purchases. I now had a full closet of clothes, shoes, scarfs, pants, and basically any other item of clothing.

The scary thing was that the more time I spent with Rowan the more I started to like him. Rowan wasn't as bad as his reputation said. He was actually kinda nice in his own weird way. He had his moment where he was a complete and utter dick but most of the time he was pretty relaxed. Thinking about all these things I came to a horrifying conclusion about myself. One that I did not want especially after my last encounter with a Winter prince. I was beginning to fall in love with Rowan and I knew that that would only end in disaster.


	4. Chapter 4

**I have been on a role here lately! This is the longest chapter I have ever written! Over 5,000 words! On Word it came out as almost 13 pages. Inspiration has hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course it helps to have your chapters planned out. Anyway I'm not going to bore you with anymore of my chitter chatter. You didn't come here to read about that. You came here to read my story. So with further ado I present to you chapter four of Winters Love. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer:** ** I do not own Rowan, Meghan, or any of the other characters that show up in the Iron Fey series. The only characters I own are the characters I may or may not make up in the future chapters. Everyone else belongs to Julie Kagawa.**

I had been woken up by the sound of conversation going on downstairs. Yawning, I sat up in my bed and stretched. Throwing back the covers, I stood up out of my bed and slowly headed to the door, wondering what the commotion was all about. Reaching the bottom of the stairs I looked at the scene before me in astonishment.

Fey of the small variety that I didn't even have a name for were scurrying around the living room, fabric and other supplies scattered across the floor. They were all female, or at least appeared to be, and looked like gnomes. One of the gnomish creatures caught sight of me and began to talk hurriedly in a language I didn't understand to the others. They all turned to me and began chittering, obviously agitated by my appearance.

"Quiet!", a woman who I had not even noticed was standing in the kitchen, shouted. She was beautiful, extremely so even for fey standards. Vivid red hair spilled down her back in loose curls and ice blue eyes raked over me appraisingly. Her lips curled up into a smirk at my unkempt appearance and I fiddled with the bottom of my pajama shorts self-consciously.

"I can see why he called me here," she said as she gracefully approached me a glass of wine in her hand. "You really do lack any and all fashion sense."

"Be nice, Minerva," Rowan scolded as he descended the staircase behind me. I looked back at him and gave him a questioning gaze. He smiled at me and motioned me to the kitchen. I followed behind him, curiosity getting the best of me. After we had secluded ourselves in the kitchen I raised an eyebrow at Rowan.

"So, are you going to tell me what exactly is happening in your living room?"

Rowan smirked at me and then turned toward the fridge. He pulled out a beer and took a sip. I looked on in surprise. I never figured Rowan for a beer drinker.

"I am having a dress commissioned for you."

My eyes widened in surprise at his statement. Commissioning a dress? For me? Thoughts whirled around my head about why he would do something like this. My gut was telling me it would not be for an event I would enjoy.

"What event will I be expected to wear this dress to?"

"Your high school Winter Formal."

I choked on the water I had been drinking. My high school Winter Formal! Was he insane?!

"Are you crazy?! We can't go to my high school! I've been missing for months. What will everyone say? How will they react?"

"To be honest, Princess, they've probably already forgotten about you by now. You are half fey after all. We tend to be forgotten by the human population."

His words triggered a memory of me talking to Oberon, my biological father. He had told me about human tendency to forget the fey. As sad as this sounds, for once I was happy to have been forgotten, and hopefully, they wouldn't remember me either. I looked up at him and sighed.

"I don't have a choice do I?"

"No, not really," he said, smirking as he continued to sip from his beer. I growled at him in irritation which only made his smile widen. A few of the gnome like creatures scuttled into the kitchen and grabbed my hands tugging me in the direction of the stairs. I looked back at Rowan, my face begging him to stop them. He chuckled at my facial expression and continued to drink his beer.

"They're just taking you upstairs to get started on your makeup. The dress should be finished before the Winter Formal."

I scowled at him before being dragged upstairs. I shivered at what these creatures were fixing to do to me.

**Rowan's P.O.V.**

I lounged across my couch and watched as Minerva and her servants created the dress for the half-breed princess that was currently upstairs. I could hardly wait to see her all dolled up. Meghan was naturally beautiful because of her fey blood but I bet that she would be drop dead gorgeous with a little makeup on. And that is what I requested, a little makeup. I was never a fan for the girls who caked it on by the pound. It was actually quite the turnoff. I was drawn out of my thoughts by Minerva's continuous glances at me. I narrowed my eyes at her and she quickly looked away.

Minerva was bold for a Winter fey but she still recognized who was the superior one here. I figured now was as good a time as any to make her aware of my expectations with this situation.

"You will not speak of anything pertaining to me or the Summer princess," I commanded in an icy voice. I could imagine the nightmare that would await me should Mab or anyone else in the Winter Court discover my true intentions with Meghan. It would not end well for me, and most especially for Meghan. Surprisingly I was more worried for Meghan's safety than my own and the thought disturbed me. "You and your servants will swear to me, right now, that you will not breathe a word about this ordeal."

A vicious glint showed in her eyes as she turned and stared at me. It was no secret that I had taken her to bed before. Everyone in the palace knew about it. Hell, everyone in the Winter kingdom knew about it. Minerva was a bragger, and nothing gained you bragging rights like fucking the second son of Mab. I often suspected that she wanted more from me than a quick tup. It wasn't love, no never love. Winter fey didn't experience love and if we did we made sure to keep it hidden. A loved one was a good way to get you killed. No, Minerva did not love me. She wanted the perks that came with being the wife of a Winter prince.

"Why does it matter if I tell or not? Everyone in court already knows that you took that Summer whore to the human world to try and convince her to ally herself with us. Though nobody knows why Mab would want that filthy half-breed. She's good for nothing."

My blood boiled at her words and I could feel my magic begin to swirl through the air. The temperature dropped and the glass I was holding began to ice over.

"You will not speak of her that way. If I hear those foul words leave your mouth again I will freeze your pretty lips shut for the rest of eternity, and how, my dear, will you attract a man after that?"

Her face flushed in white hot fury at my words. It was no secret that she gave herself to any noble who could further her social standing. Often her signature move was to jump you in a secluded hallway and blow you. It was what she had done to me. And she was damn good at it too. Must have been all that practice, because I was surly not her first conquest, though she had never managed to tame me.

"How dare you say those things to me! I am Queen Mab's personal seamstress! I am-"

"You are nothing more than a common servant, lowly, and beneath her notice. She would not save you from my wrath. It would be a waste of her time. Plus, she could replace you in two seconds. You're expendable, and if you and your creatures don't swear to me that you won't speak of anything that happens in my house, I will end your career. No one will even spit on you when I'm through. You will be nothing. Well…more of a nothing than you already are," and with those whispered words I tightened the hold on my glass and it shattered into many sparkling pieces.

Minerva paled at my words, her anger leaving her only to be replaced with fear. She was perfectly aware that I could end her and everything that she had worked towards. She bowed her head in submission and swore her oath. The oath was binding for her servants as well since they were sworn to obey her. I smiled in satisfaction. After ten more minutes the dress was finished and it was a beautiful piece of work. Sapphire blue satin shimmered in the light. It would complement Meghan well. I stood up off the couch and walked forward, finger gently stroking the material.

"You did a wonderful job, Minerva," I said as I turned to look at her. "I will make sure that everyone in the Winter kingdom will know of your incredible work."

Minerva avoided my gaze, still properly chastised from my earlier words. I grinned at her discomfort and started toward the stairs to get dressed in the tux that had already been made before her arrival. At the top of the staircase I looked back down at her and smiled.

"Oh, Minerva," she looked up at my voice and waited for me to continue. "Do be a dear and help the lovely Summer princess into her dress. That is something your qualified to do, is it not?"

Fury lit up her emerald eyes and I could tell she wanted to let her sharp words fly but she simply nodded. My smile dimmed a little at her lack of defiance. Oh, well, I had better things to do anyway than antagonize her. Like getting ready for a date with my fiery princess. I headed to my room and grabbed the tux from where it was hanging on my bathroom door. I dressed and made sure my appearance was impeccable. A Winter prince can't go out looking like a pauper. Satisfied with my appearance I headed back downstairs to wait on the sofa.

Thirty minutes passed and I continued to wait. My patience was starting to fray and I tapped my fingers against the top of my knee in agitation. No sooner had I stood up of the couch to see what was taking so long did Meghan appear at the top, knocking the breath right out of me. She was more beautiful than I had originally imagined. The color of the dress complemented her skin and eyes perfectly. It hung off her shoulders revealing more creamy skin. I gulped at the sight. Her makeup was done light just like I had requested and it accentuated her eyes. Her silvery blonde hair had been curled and twisted up in an exquisite up do, loose curls came down to frame her face. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I felt the beginnings of something stir in my heart, something forbidden, and I shook it off, thinking it was nothing but my imagination.

She met my gaze and a delicate blush graced her face and her sky blue eyes darted away from mine. I smiled gently at her shyness. I strode to the stair case as she descended. I met her at the bottom and held out my arm for her to take.

"Shall we?" I asked. She nodded and grabbed onto my arm. We headed out one of the side doors to my house that led to a small garden. In the darkest part of the garden lay a trod. This trod though was special. It could take me anywhere in the world as long as there was a trod there to return from. It had taken me years to make this trod. Many years of hard work to make travel more convenient for me. Luckily, there was a trod not too far from the school and a rental car awaiting us on the other side.

I took a deep breath focused on where I wanted to go and then, with Meghan on my arm, I stepped through.

**Meghan's P.O.V.**

We stepped through the trod and the air hit my skin making me shiver. Rowan noticed and pulled me closer into his side. Not that it mattered. His skin was only a little warmer than the air itself, him being a Winter fey and all. But I appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Rowan whistled softly and within a few minutes a car pulled up beside us. Rowan opened the door for me and helped me into the backseat like an old fashioned gentleman. My heart fluttered at the gesture. He closed my door and walked around the back of the car to get in the opposite side.

After we had settled in, the car moved forward and back onto the road, heading in the all too familiar direction of my high school. The closer we got the more nervous I became. Rowan could sense my unease and he laid a hand on mine, gently squeezing in the process.

"Relax. You'd give a brownie a nervous breakdown."

I gave him a look but otherwise remained quiet, too consumed with my impending reunion with my classmates. Finally, we pulled up outside the school and Rowan quickly got out and came around to my side. He opened the door and held out a hand. I slowly took it and he gently pulled me out of the car. He bent to the driver side window and whispered something to the driver. Afterwards, the driver pulled away from the curb and disappeared into the darkness. Rowan held out his arm and I took it. Together we walked into the school, otherwise known as my own personal hell.

The dance was taking place in the gym and I lead Rowan down the dark hallways to it. The gym was decorated in cheesy looking snowflakes. They were everywhere. Hanging from the ceiling, plastered to the walls. The table clothes where silver and white. Rowan chuckled beside me and then leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"I love the decorator. Maybe I can get some tips for the palace."

I snorted at this and looked up at him, a grin spread across my face. As we were laughing one of my former teachers approached us, clipboard in hand.

"You need an invitation to be here," he said as he glanced at Rowan, a clear look of disapproval plastered on his face. Before I could answer his eyes went blank and he turned and walked away. I glanced up at Rowan and saw him smirking at the man as he walked away. I narrowed my eyes at him but made no comment. We would have gotten kicked out if he hadn't of glamoured Mr. Carter. A slow song came on and Rowan turned to me and bowed.

"May I have this dance?"

I laughed at his antics before I accepted his outstretched hand and he guided me to the dance floor.

"You know, you're about as cheesy as these decorations," I teased as we danced. Rowan spun in me in a circle and then brought me back into the circle of his arms.

"You wound me, Princess."

I giggled at his antics and we continued to dance. The song came to a close and a more fast paced song came on. Rowan grinned wickedly at me. The dancers around us became more frenzied and soon we joined in. We danced together for several more songs before I finally had to stop. I walked over to one of the tables on the edge of the dance floor, Rowan following close behind me. He pulled out a chair for me and I sat, my feet starting to ache from the uncomfortable shoes.

"I'll go get us something to drink. Don't go wandering off, Princess," Rowan teased and I stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed as he walked away toward the refreshment table. As I waited for Rowan to come back an extremely surprising person graced me with his presence. Scott Waldron, the golden boy of my high school, and my former crush was sitting in the chair opposite me. A seductive smiled blazed across his handsome face and if I would've been the same girl I was before all my fairy misadventures I would've swooned, but as it was he no longer affected me. There were way more handsome boys in the world. An image of Rowan on the beach popped into my head and I blushed slightly.

"Hi, my name is Scott. You may have heard of me. I'm the quarterback for the football team."

I stared blankly at Scott my mind trying to wrap around the fact that he didn't remember me. After all, he tried to make my life a living hell after the computer lab incident. He leaned in and gave me what he probably considered a sexy smirk.

"You know, babe, I'm having a party tonight. Sort of a…after party. I was wondering if you would like to go, gorgeous."

I opened my mouth to reply but was interrupted by Rowan, who had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"We would love to go."

Scott gave him a wary look before turning his attention back on me. He slipped me a piece of paper and winked.

"My address and time of the party is on there. I hope to see you there," and with that he got up from the table and disappeared into the crowd. Rowan took his vacated seat and set a glass of punch in front of me. I glared at him as he calmly sipped his own punch and gazed into the crowd.

"I don't want to go to Scott's party. He wasn't all that nice to me when I used to go here."

Rowan turned his gaze on me and lifted a brow. He gestured to my punch and I picked it up and took a quick sip of it. He gave me a satisfied smirk and continued sipping on his own drink.

"I accepted because I thought it could be fun and you, Princess, need to lighten up and have some fun. You never know what could happen at a teenager's party."

"Rowan, please don't make me go. I've already went to this stupid dance. Isn't that enough?"

"No, it's not. We're going. End of story. So, you better get used to it now, Princess."

I viciously glared at him which only caused him to give me an amused look. That's how we spent the rest of the dance. Me glaring daggers at him and him calmly sipping his drink. Eventually, the crowd started to scatter and Rowan led me out to the car that was waiting for us. The trip home was made in silence. When we walked through the door Rowan headed up the stairs and to his room. I followed behind him slowly, not at all eager to go to Scott's party.

Rowan paused in front of his door way and glanced back at me. I watched him warily.

"Go find something nice to wear and meet me downstairs in twenty minutes. I don't need to remind you what will happen if you don't heed my requests."

I nodded at him and he turned and went into his room, closing the door behind him. I flipped his door the bird before sighing and going to my own room. I flipped through the clothes in my closet, contemplating what I was going to wear. I had never been to a party before so I had no idea what to wear. I finally just decided on a pair of dark blue jeans and an off the shoulder long sleeved black shirt. I slipped on some ankle boots, pulled my hair out of it up do, and checked my makeup. Finding my appearance acceptable I headed back down stairs to wait for Rowan, if he wasn't already down there that is.

My hunch was right and Rowan was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing black jeans that were tucked into black combat boots. A gray t-shirt hugged his chest perfectly and a black button up with the sleeves rolled to the elbows lay over it. He looked incredibly sexy. I cursed myself as I descended the stair case. I should be thinking about all the ways I could kill Rowan for forcing me to this party, not how good he looked in that outfit.

Rowan gave me an appraising look and his trademark smirk made an appearance on his face.

"You clean up nicely, Princess."

"Can we just go and get this over with please? My bed is calling my name."

"You're such a Debby downer."

"Did you just use the term, Debby downer?" I asked incredulously. He just gave me a goofy smile and headed for the door that led out to the garden.

The same car was waiting for us on the other side of the trod. Rowan handed the driver the paper Scott had given me. We drove in silence. You could hear the party before you could see it. Music pounded through the air and you could hear people conversing. We pulled up outside Scott's house and quickly exited the vehicle. Rowan did not act the perfect gentleman this time. He was too into his element. I frowned at his back as we headed up the sidewalk and into the house. People were scattered every which way. Most had cheap red plastic cups in their hands. Some bumped and grinded to the music that poured from the speakers. I rolled my eyes at their actions.

Not too long after we stepped into the overcrowded living room a swarm of wasted girls descended on Rowan. They flirted and flashed glimpses of their cleavage at Rowan. He smirked at them and flirted back. A spark of jealousy lit my heart but I quickly shrugged it off. I didn't have the right to get jealous over Rowan. He wasn't my boyfriend or anything like that. The girls started to drag Rowan off and he followed willingly behind them never giving me a second look. I stood in the living room, feeling very out of place and awkward.

I sighed and started wandering through the house, trying to find a quiet place to hole up until Rowan was done fraternizing with his whores, and trying to avoid the many wasted kids that dominated most of the space in the house. I eventually found a quiet corner in the study. I sat down on the plush loveseat and relaxed. Hopefully no one would bother me in here. My hopes were dashed when the door to the study opened. I waited; dread filling my stomach, sure that it would be a couple come in here to have sex. I was surprised to see, not a drunken couple trying to find a place to get it on, but Scott Waldron.

He saw me and gave me, what he thought was, his sexy smile. He sauntered toward me and sat down next to me. I scooted away a tiny bit, uncomfortable with his close proximity. I noticed he had a drink in his hand but one glance at his clear blue eyes and you knew he wasn't drunk. Not even a little bit.

"What are you doing in here alone? I thought you would've been with that boy that you were with at the dance."

"I guess he found better company," I said shrugging. That little surge of jealousy reared its head again and I had to battle it down.

"I understand. It was pretty uncool of him to abandon you at a party with people you don't know."

I laughed at his statement. He had no idea how well I knew these people, especially him. Scott's smile widened at my laugh. I assumed he thought that what he said had been funny. He abruptly stood and I watched him warily.

"Where are my manners? You must be thirsty and it is awfully hot in here. Could I maybe get you a drink?"

I thought about his offer for a minute and then nodded at him.

"Soda, please. I don't drink alcohol."

"No problem, I'll be back in a second."

He headed to the kitchen, shutting the study door behind him. Deciding that it was indeed hot in the room I followed him out. It was a little better out in the hallway but not by much. The hallway, like most of the house, was crowded with people. I glanced down the hallway to see Rowan disappear into the crowd with one of the skanks that had accosted him at the door. Jealousy flared up inside me and this time I didn't try to bite it down.

I jumped as Scott appeared back at my side another drink in his hand. He took it from him and took a big gulp. I turned and looked back down the hallway but I couldn't get a glimpse of the Winter prince. Scott's gaze had followed mine and he turned to look down at me.

"Forget about him. He ain't worth your time."

I went to give him a smile but suddenly I felt very drowsy. My vision blurred and I fell into Scott. He caught me around my waist and then hoisted me into his arms. I tried to open my mouth to ask him what was happening but I couldn't find the strength. As we headed up the staircase, my brain that had been sluggishly trying to find the answer to why I was suddenly weak, finally gave me the answer. Scott had roofied me! I tried to move but I couldn't manage more than a twitch. Scott cooed down at me and turned and headed down a hallway to the left of the stairs.

I prayed that someone would come up and stop him but I knew that no one would. Half the people were drunk and the other half probably wouldn't think it was odd that he was carrying me up the stairs and if they did they wouldn't confront him about it. He knocked on one of the doors and it opened to reveal another member of the football team. I couldn't remember his name but I do remember him being a giant jerk off. He wasn't the only one in the room though. There was another football boy standing in the corner. Scott tossed me on the bed and they all stared at me, lust shining in their eyes.

All three of them approached me at the same time and began to strip me out of my clothes. Tears leaked out of my eyes at how powerless I was to stop them. I was fixing to be gang raped. It was a fate that I never imagined happening to me. I had been too careless. The knowledge of what was fixing to happen to me became too much and I started to black out. Before I completely descended into darkness I felt the stinging chill of Winter magic hit my naked flesh. I smiled in relief. Rowan was here…

**Rowan's P.O.V.**

My anger at these filthy mortals was an understatement. I wasn't just angry. I was absolutely livid. I killed the first one before he could even see me coming. The two other boys turned in the direction of the snap of their friend's neck. The shorter one rushed me but I stepped out of the way and, quick as a flash, sank my dagger deep into his throat. He gurgled on his own blood for a couple of seconds before I ripped out my blade and he collapsed to the floor, twitching occasionally. I turned my gaze back to the Waldron boy. He was huddled against the opposite wall, and from the smell that permeated the air, had pissed himself.

If it would have been any other occasion I would have laughed but this incident was too serious. I slowly approached the boy and he curled in on himself, shrinking away from me in the process.

"Pl-Please, don't kill me!"

"You don't get the option to live you disgusting piece of shit. You tried to rape what's precious to me. You won't get away with it."

And before he could react to my words I slashed my blade across his throat. I watched him choke on his own blood for second and then hurried to Meghan's side. She was almost completely stripped of her clothes, the only thing still on her body being her panties. Dark fingerprints marred her flesh, especially around her breasts. I growled in fury. Their deaths were too swift! I went to get her clothes off the floor but realized that they wouldn't work. Those savages had torn them to shreds in their hurry to get her naked.

I shrugged off my black button up and slid it on her. I buttoned it up and made a call to the driver of the rental car to hurry and pick us up. I gathered Meghan up into my arms and carried her downstairs. I was completely unconcerned with the partiers downstairs and whether or not they saw us. They would just forget what they had seen anyway. The car was out front waiting for us when I opened the door. I quickly raced to it and opened the door. I gently sat her inside and buckled her up before sliding into the seat next to her.

We were back to my house in a few minutes and I carried her up the stairs to my room. I placed her on the top of the covers before making my way to her room to grab a pair of her pajamas. I quickly changed her into the tank top and shorts that I had brought for. I pulled back the covers and placed her under them. I then went to my dresser and grabbed a pair of black pajama bottoms. I stripped out of my clothes and put the bottoms on.

A noise from the bed made me hurry to Meghan's side. She opened her eyes and look up at me. She reached out and grabbed my arm but there was no pressure behind it. She was too weak to do any more than that.

"Rowan…?" she asked softly.

"Yes, Meghan. I'm here."

"I'm, I'm going to be sick…!" she managed to get out. I scooped her up and whisked her to the bathroom. No sooner had her head hung over the toilet then she began to heave. I settled behind her and held her as she vomited into the toilet. I gently brushed the hair out of her hair. She was sick for a good twenty minutes before her heaves subsided. I helped her off the floor and sat her on the edge of the bath tub while I flushed the toilet.

"Could you- Could you get me my toothbrush, please?"

I nodded at her and then went to do as she had asked. I brought it to her and watched carefully as she brushed her teeth. After that was all taken care of I scooped her back up into my arms and carried her to my bed. I got her settled in and asked her if she would like some water. She nodded weakly and headed to the kitchen to get her a cool glass of water. As I filled the glass with water I felt an emotion that I never thought I was capable of, guilt. I never should have left her. I never should have gotten jealous at Scott talking with her.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts I headed back up the stairs. I sat her up and held the glass to her lips. She took slow sips and then raised her head signaling that she was done. I set the glass on the nightstand and settled her back down against my pillows.

"Meghan?"

She hummed at me and opened her eyes, gazing up at me, her eyes starting to uncloud.

"I'm sorry that I let this happen to you."

A hand softly brushed my cheek and I looked at her in shock. She smiled gently up at me and stroked my cheek. I placed my hand over hers and leaned into her touch.

"It wasn't your fault, Rowan. I should have been more cautious of Scott."

"I shouldn't have left you at the party. I made you go and then I abandoned you. Would it be too much to ask if you could forgive me?"

"I forgive you," she murmured. I smiled down at her and then carefully extracted myself from the bed. A hand latched onto mine with more force than I thought she was capable of. "Don't leave me, please."

"I won't," I assured her. I went around the bed and slipped under the covers with her. She turned on her side and snuggled into my chest, sighing softly as she did. I sat there stunned at her actions before I eventually relaxed, stroking her hair in the process.

"Goodnight, Meghan," I softly whispered but she was already deeply asleep. I smiled softly at her and then joined her in the depths of sleep and for the first time in a very long time, I didn't have nightmares. Instead I dreamt of a lovely Summer princess who was stubborn but kind. And who was beginning to worm her way into my heart.


End file.
